Her Eyes Met Mine
by MiamiBabe
Summary: This started as a challenge response on another site and has taken a life of its own. My version of how TS should've ended. Babefic so read at your own caution.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So it's been a while since I really wrote anything. This idea struck me when I read Court's challenge last week but I couldn't do anything about it at the time. It's kind of crappy but this idea wouldn't shake me and I need to start writing to entice the muse back. And since TBC is the safest place in the Plum World, I've decided to post it here warts and all. So let me know what you guys think, okay?_

Her Eyes Met Mine Challenge

By

MiamiBabe

I walked down the hallway towards the room I'd come to hate. It was going on two weeks since Stephanie camped herself in Ranger's hospital room and it didn't look like she was going to leave any time soon.

I knew that her family and even Ranger's men had tried to convince her to go home and get some rest, but she'd stood her ground and told them she wasn't budging until Ranger woke up.

I hadn't said anything up until now because I begrudgingly accepted the fact that Ranger was a good friend to Stephanie and he'd sacrificed himself to save her and Julie. But enough was enough. She needed to come home. I missed her and the longer she stayed at the hospital the more distance I felt creep between us.

I reached Ranger's room, I nodded at one of his goons guarding the door and was ready to go in, but when I looked into the glass observation window, I froze.

I was mesmerized by the sight of Stephanie sitting next to Ranger's hospital bed gently stroking his hair with one hand and holding tight onto the other. She was leaning forward with her forehead against his left temple and whispering into his ear. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but her body language told me all I needed to know.

No!!!! I can't lose her, not when she finally admitted she loved me. That's supposed to be me that she's caressing and whispering lovingly too.

I wasn't going to let this happen. I knocked before opening the door but she didn't move or let go of Ranger's hand. She didn't even look up.

I needed to get my shit together so I tried to put on my cop face but when I heard my voice crack, I realized I wasn't as in control as I thought. "Hey Cupcake…how are you doing today?"

"Hey Joe," she sighed, "I'm fine."

I knew she was lying, but I didn't have the heart to call her on it…yet. "How about him?" I asked as I tipped my head towards Ranger. Not that she'd noticed.

"The same... No progress." She wearily replied, "The doctors don't understand why he hasn't woken up yet. At first they weren't too worried, saying it happened sometimes when a body went through a lot of trauma. Sort of like a defense mechanism, but now they clam up when I ask them anything. He should have come out of it by now."

I could hear the worry in her voice and it broke my heart. But in the same instance I wondered if she would be this torn up if it was me in that bed? Fuck I'm an asshole!

"I can tell they're starting to give up, but I'm not going to let them." Her voice was filled with a quiet determination he had never heard before.

I didn't want to hear about him anymore. I just wanted to comfort her and take her away from all of this, so I ignored her comment and gently teased her in hopes that she'd leave the room, even if only for a little while.

"Cupcake I don't want to be rude, but you look like shit," I said without any heat and a hint of a smile to let her know I was teasing her.

She nodded her head in agreement and shrugged to let me know she didn't care.

"Why don't you let me take you home Steph? You can take one of your long hot showers and do your whole bath routine, put something comfortable on and after that you can try and get some rest."

She stubbornly shook her head. "I'm fine. I get plenty of rest here."

I gently chided her, "Real rest Steph. Look at you. You haven't slept right in weeks. The circles under your eyes could give a raccoon a run for its money and it looks like you haven't eaten in days."

"I can't leave Joe. I have to be here."

"You can't or you won't?" My tone was harsher than I had wanted it to be.

She hadn't looked up at me once during our whole conversation, but now she looked **up and her eyes met mine.** And everything in that moment changed.

The harshness of his voice caused something to snap in her and it broke the little control she had left. For days now, she had been holding on by a thread. But she had hit her limit, she couldn't hold the pain in anymore and with tears streaming down her face she whispered, "I can't. I need to be here when he wakes up."

In a moment of pure jealousy, I lost my temper. "Well Stephanie, I don't understand that reasoning. I know he's your friend and that he's always been there for you, but he's got enough people to watch over him. When am I going to get my girlfriend back?"

I mentally cringed as the words came out. Shit. I knew better than to lay out ultimatums to her. It was like waving a red cape in front of a bull.

I began to apologize, "I'm sorr…" but she put her hand up and stopped me.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she softly said, "I know this hasn't been fair to you Joe and you've been great…really, but I'm not leaving here until he wakes up. I need to be here when he wakes up."

I heard the desperate plea she was sending me to understand, but the asshole in me wouldn't listen. I was lonely and frustrated and instead of giving her some room, I barked out, "That's bullshit Stephanie. You need to be home with me." Fuck. I'm such a prick. This isn't the way I wanted this conversation to go.

Get a hold of yourself Morelli or you're going to blow it. I took a deep breath and said, "Look Cupcake. I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. I've waited three long years to hear you say you love me and now I feel like I'm losing you."

She looked up at him surprised. He was letting her see his vulnerability. Joe kept his emotions and feelings pretty close to the vest. It wasn't that he hadn't told her he loved her because frankly he was able to verbalize his feelings way better than she was, but candor and vulnerability weren't usually his style.

In that moment she knew what she needed to do. She'd been thinking about it for the past two weeks, but she didn't have the energy or desire to go twelve rounds with Joe so she'd put it off. But it was time now. She had to stop the vicious cycle they were trapped in. She had to be honest and true to her feelings. She couldn't keep playing a game that she knew wouldn't end well.

I had lowered my face and was staring at my feet with my hands rammed into my pockets. I was trying to regain control of my emotions and I didn't want her to see how much this conversation was affecting me.

"Joe, look at me please?"

I raised my head and looked into her watery eyes. "Yeah?"

She swallowed hard as she tried to push down the lump in her throat. While she gathered the courage to say what she needed to tell him.

I watched her and patiently waited while she seemed to struggle with herself.

"You know what's so ironic about this whole fucked up situation?" She asked abruptly.

I knew she didn't expect a response, so I waited for her to continue.

"Scrog was able to accomplish the impossible…he yanked me out of denial and has made me face my life head on."

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked knowing that I wasn't going to like her response. I could see it in her eyes.

"That I love you Joe. I think I've loved you off and on since I can remember. You're a part of me. We get each other, and I honestly can't imagine my life without you."

My heart leapt in my chest. I was wrong. She wasn't going to break up with me. Relief began to seep through my body. She was finally ready for a real relationship. A grin began to creep onto my face until she started speaking again. Tears were rolling down her face and her voice cracked. "But you see, what I've come to realize is that if I have to I'll survive without you."

My stomach clenched as if I'd been punched in the gut. Deep down I knew this was coming to a head. I'd hoped that the Scrog fiasco would make her grow up and see what was important. I guess what they say is true, 'Be careful for what you wish for…'

I must be a glutton for punishment because I pushed her. "What are you trying to say Steph?"

She looked at me with regret in her eyes. "I know this isn't fair, but no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I fell in love with him. I need him like I need the air I breathe … I can't live without him." Her crying had turned to sobbing. "I'm so sorry Joe that I didn't realize this sooner," her breathing became ragged from her tears. "I…I didn't mean to lead you on or waste your time. I really thought we had a chance for a good future but I can't lie to you or myself anymore. You deserve better than that. You deserve to have someone love you unconditionally but that someone just isn't me."

My pride was kicking into gear and right as I was going to let her know how fucked up this situation was, she gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"He squeezed my hand." She stroked his hair and whispered in his ear, Ranger, can you hear me? Please say something. Please come back to me."

He cracked his eyes open said the one word that meant everything to him, "Babe?"

_So what do you think? _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Happy Birthday Christie! This is for you! I know it isn't smut, but it's all Ranger and Steph so I hope you enjoy it anyway. May your day be filled with Ranger dreams J Hugs and Smooches, Luisa

_**Previously**_

_She looked at me with regret in her eyes. "I know this isn't fair, but no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I fell in love with him. I need him like I need the air I breathe … I can't live without him." Her crying had turned to sobbing. "I'm so sorry Joe that I didn't realize this sooner," her breathing became ragged from her tears. "I…I didn't mean to lead you on or waste your time. I really thought we had a chance for a good future but I can't lie to you or myself anymore. You deserve better than that. You deserve to have someone love you unconditionally but that someone just isn't me." _

_My pride was kicking into gear and right as I was going to let her know how fucked up this situation was she gasped._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_He squeezed my hand." She stroked his hair and whispered in his ear, Ranger, can you hear me? Please say something. Please come back to me." _

_He cracked his eyes open said the one word that meant everything to him, "Babe?"_

_**Continuation of Her Eyes Met Mine Challenge**_

_**By**_

_**MiamiBabe**_

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard trying to bring her emotions under control. Please don't let this be a dream. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. Thank god, it wasn't a dream. He was awake. He'd come back to her. With tears falling freely down her cheeks, she smiled at him and said, "Ranger, you woke up. You came back to me."

He looked up at Morelli and saw the anger in his face as he heard her words. What the hell is going on? Why would she say that in front of him? She was right. Her voice and the memory of her eyes were what kept me reaching forward, but she was never so open about her feelings for me. Shit. My condition must be pretty bad for her to be purposefully baiting Morelli's temper.

Instinctively I knew that I'd been out of it for a while, but I couldn't remember what got me here. Why can't I remember what happened. Disjointed images were flashing through my mind, but none of them made any sense. Why would Julie be in the same room with Stephanie? Why was I looking at myself, but it wasn't in a mirror? I don't understand. I was finding it hard to speak and it was pissing me off. My head was starting to throb making it more difficult to remember anything. Fuck! What the hell happened? Why is Steph here looking at me like I'm dying? Why is Morelli here? Is she in danger? Is another psycho stalking her? And where the fuck is Tank and my men?

Steph saw that Ranger was getting agitated. It seemed that he was having a hard time speaking and he looked lost, and that thought seemed to mobilize her. She began to run her fingers through his hair. She'd learned during their one night together that he loved to have his hair played with. As soon as her hands began to work their magic, he began to relax causing Steph to smile.

Steph surprised me again with her caresses and her familiarity. I wasn't complaining. The truth was that I was really enjoying it, but I didn't know how much longer Joe could control his tongue. Most of all I was worried that I couldn't help her if Joe lost it and I didn't see any of my men around to step in for her.

Think, soldier. I closed my eyes hoping the action would help clear the fog in my head. I began breathing exercises I'd learned from a monk in Tibet. They were supposed to clear my mind of all the clutter and focus on what was important. Could it be I'd gotten hurt saving her? And then images started to rush through my mind. Steph dressed all in leather her hair standing on end as if she'd been repeatedly stunned. Snippets of conversations were making their way to the forefront of my mind. She was telling me about Julie. Something about her being dirty and possibly drugged, then an image of living with Steph crossed through my mind. Then the fog seemed to lift and I remembered walking into Steph's apartment and seeing her tied up in a chair and Julie slumped over another one before Scrog began to shoot me. I tried to jump up from the bed, needing to know if Julie was okay. Steph immediately started to speak to me in a soothing voice, instinctively knowing what I needed to hear. "She's okay Ranger. Scrog didn't hurt her. She is an amazing kid. She saved your life you know?"

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"She went back home with Rachel. She wanted to wait for you to wake up, but you've been out for over a couple of weeks and Rachel thought it was important to get her back home to her routine."

A wave of emotion threatened to overcome me, but I didn't want to worry Steph and I sure as hell didn't want to break down in front of Morelli. I closed my eyes and brought my emotions under control. I focused on what was important that the two people I loved more than life itself were okay. And the only woman I've ever truly loved, by some miracle was sitting by side.

I cut my gaze to look at her and I found myself staring into her eyes. She'd been watching me. I wasn't used to her being so bold. She searched my face for a few minutes and must have found what she was looking for because the next thing I now, she gave me one of the most beautiful smiles that I'd ever seen. The joy she felt was written all over her face and the fact that I was responsible for those feelings, made me happier than I thought possible.

She laughed and carefully threw her arms around me and began to give me butterfly kisses all over my face until she reached my ears where she whispered, "Carlos don't ever scare me that way again. I know you aren't ready to hear this yet, but I'm not wasting any more time. I love you Ricardo Carlos Manoso and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, so you better get used to it."

My heart skipped a beat. Did she really just tell me she loved me? In front of Morelli? I locked eyes with her and she smiled and slightly nodded her head letting me know that I hadn't misunderstood. I wasn't prepared for the feelings those words stirred inside of me. A surge of blood was coursing through my veins making my heart feel like it was going to leap out of my body.

I knew I loved her. I also knew that she loved me, but I'd convinced myself to believe she was in love with Morelli and that friendship was all she'd ever offer me.

Never did I believe there would be a day that she'd buck the 'Burg and her family and actually pick me. And all I could say to express my happiness was, "Babe."

I'd watched him as I declared my love for him, waiting to see his reaction to my words. I knew it wouldn't be obvious, but I knew what to look for so I patiently waited and then there it was. His eyes slightly widened when he processed what I'd said. Ranger's version of floored. I chuckled to myself when I saw him swing his eyes towards Joe and back at me. Who knew Batman could be shocked. I knew I had to make him understand I was serious, so I let all of the love I felt for him shine through my eyes and nodded my head to let him know he'd heard correctly. It seemed like an eternity for him to react, but my patience was finally rewarded. He gave me one of his beautiful unrestrained smiles that seemed to light the room and then spoke the one word that always seemed to make everything right…"Babe."

I'd been frozen to my spot since he spoke. _Babe_, God I hated that fucking word. Every time he called her that, I wanted to punch him in the face. I'd been ready to tell her that this conversation wasn't over, that I wasn't going to let her give up on us. But then I saw her caressing him, whispering lovingly into his ear with no regard to my presence and my heart plummeted as any hope I'd had started to fade.

If I'd only paid more attention at the beginning of our relationship, I might have been able to nip Steph's attraction to him. But I was full of myself. I'd never had to work for a woman before and I had no reason to believe it was going to be any different with Stephanie. Hell even after Manoso started to pursue her; I didn't really worry about it. I'd heard the rumors about the stolen kisses in the alley, but I chose to ignore them because I had committed worse sins and even I couldn't be that much of a hypocrite. I also thought that her fascination with him would eventually run its course and she'd get over him. The truth was that I never really thought of him as competition. There was never a doubt in my mind that she would end up mine. But I guess the joke was on me because there was no denying what she felt for him now.

I should have left the room to maintain some dignity, but it was like watching a train wreck happen in front of you…you just couldn't turn away. And for every caress and loving look she gave him, I felt as if I'd been punched in the gut. And then she whispered something to him that made him smile. I felt my face turn red from the anger I was trying to control. The intimate touches were pushing me over the edge. Fuck, how did I miss the way she looks at him? She never looked at me that way. I wanted to go off and demand her respect, but I realized it wouldn't do me any good. Hell she didn't even remember I was in the room.

And then I felt Ranger's gaze swing towards me and back to Steph. It looked like he was confused, trying to work something out in his mind. She'd been watching him carefully letting him absorb whatever it is she told him. He seemed to work things out and I watched as she nodded her head and smiled.

When the hell had they developed shorthand between them? And when did she stop being scared of him and feel so at ease in his presence? And right when I thought it couldn't get worse, bam…I felt like I'd been hit with another punch in the gut. He did something I don't think I'd ever seen before, he gave her a full blown smile and said that fucking word again, "Babe."

TBC


End file.
